SECO/WARWICK will deliver a solution heat treatment line to Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), an Indian manufacturer in the aerospace sector. The order is the largest production line for aircraft skins in the history of both companies. SECO/WARWICK will build a production line for the solution heat treatment of aluminum alloys. It will meet the stringent requirements for AMS 2750F and AMS 2770 standards. The equipment will be used for the production of aircraft skins, empennage and center-wing boxes. The line includes a rapid-quench electric furnace (drop-bottom type), mobile quenching tank, rinsing tank and additional equipment (including a chiller and loading baskets).

 

This article takes a look at a few common automotive parts and sees how heat treatment is used to make them better.

Nitrex supplied a turnkey gas nitriding system to Ohio-based aluminum extrusion die manufacturer Youngstown Tool & Die (YTD) in the fourth quarter of 2020. The system adds Nitreg controlled nitriding to YTD’s range of heat-treating services. YTD relocated to a larger manufacturing facility in summer 2020 and made investments in new production and finishing equipment to increase its manufacturing capabilities and meet growing demand. As part of the new production, YTD installed a Nitrex pit-type nitriding system that has a 4,400-pound capacity for treating aluminum extrusion dies.

Gerdau will invest approximately $180 million in the modernization and expansion of its special steel operations in Brazil. The investment will focus on steel production units located in Pindamonhangaba and Mogi das Cruzes in São Paulo and in Charqueadas in Rio Grande do Sul. A new annealing and spheroidization furnace for steel bars will be installed at the Charqueadas plant. The equipment will bring greater capacity and productivity to the facility’s heat-treatment process. It will also allow Gerdau to meet growing demand for materials with more demanding specifications in relation to properties such as hardness and low levels of decarburization. The equipment, which has an annual capacity of 48,000 tons, will start up in August 2022.

Quintus Technologies delivered a hot isostatic press (HIP) to full-service additive manufacturer Burloak Technologies. The Oakville, Ontario-based company will use the HIP to significantly increase production and deliver new levels of mechanical performance and strength properties in parts for mission-critical applications. The unit combines high pressure, heat treatment and cooling in a single process, which removes several operations from the AM production line. The HIP’s highly customizable cooling cycle can be programmed to stop at a specific temperature while maintaining the desired pressure setpoint. Rapid cooling under pressure minimizes thermal distortion and non-uniform grain growth in components, producing finished parts with optimal material properties.

Lucifer Furnaces received an order from Southwick & Meister Inc. for a box furnace. The Meriden, Conn.-based manufacturer of collets, bushings and cutting tools will use the furnace – its third Lucifer box furnace – to heat treat under nitrogen atmosphere. The 9-inch-high x 12-inch-wide x 18-inch-long chamber is lined with 5 inches of a combination of lightweight firebrick hot face backed with cold-face mineral wool for energy-efficient operation and low outside shell temperature. The furnace is fabricated from 10-gauge sheet steel reinforced with structural-steel members continuously welded to form a solid shell for operation with a positive flow of inert atmosphere. 

Airforge OH 40028 is a non-graphitic die lube formulated for aluminum forging.

PPG HI-TEMP 1027HD coating is a next-generation, ambient-cure coating engineered for challenging corrosion-under-insulation (CUI) conditions.

CAST-X HT high-temperature heaters operate up to 1110°F (600°C). Process gases such as nitrogen, argon, CO and CO2 are suited for this heater, but flammable liquids and gases can also be safely heated – even at significant flow rates and pressures.

Bodycote is targeting the marine renewables sector after securing work with Sweden’s CorPower Ocean. The U.K.-based provider of heat-treatment and thermal-processing services helped CorPower optimize key components in its Wave Energy Converters (WECs). CorPower’s high-efficiency WECs, inspired by the pumping principles of the human heart, offer five times more energy per ton of device compared to previously known technologies, according to the manufacturer. Incorporating a series of features to boost storm survivability and power capture, WECs benefit from thermochemical treatment to protect against the harshest marine conditions.